I absolutely think JH was wrong and unprofessional for double-booking herself (half a country apart in the dead of winter, and never saying a word to the producers 'oh, btw, I'm leaving town tonite in between the sound check and the taping? yeah, I have another gig. See you in the AM.'), and I absolutely think O was wrong and a big entitled diva for the way she handled it. She could have been gracious and understanding. They each could have chosen to act differently

What was racist and prejudiced in her speech? She made a point about having many more options than her grandmother had.

Yes, she did make that point and not graciously. I am a minority myself but the way she said it, her tone and her words...it's no wonder she has become a point of controversy.

The 2007 speech? I just looked it up on youtube. Her remark about her gma wanted her to find 'good white folks' to work for, and then Oprah turning that around to say 'I found good white folks to work for me' certainly packed a visceral punch. From her gma's POV(she died in 1963?), that was a pretty powerful moment. From a modern perspective, could anyone else of [race] get away with saying 'I found good [other race] to work for me', anywhere in this world?

Seems like you don't end racism with more racism, at least not publically. 'Keep it in the kitchen' as my mom would say.

Oh my gosh, I was reading through this whole thread thinking that she didn't make it in until the evening or something. Two hours late??? All this drama over two hours?? You can't tell me with all the diva celebrities Oprah's had on her show that no one has ever been two hours late for whatever reason before. And probably with a much less legitimate excuse. Yes, it may not have been the best planning ever for Jennifer Hudson's team (who probably were the ones who scheduled it, not her) to have her bouncing back and forth from Chicago to Dallas but that's not uncommon for celebrities and sometimes that's just the way it works out. And it was not her fault that Oprah had schedule three shows that day instead of the usual two. I've worked a little in film/tv, and unexpected delays are, really, to be expected. Get over it already, Oprah.

I think over the years Oprah got so used to things revolving around her she's at the point where she takes it as a personal affront when someone or something doesn't.

I'm another one whose perception of her drastically changed after the Hermes incident in France. I've never really respected her since, not just because she threw a tantrum at the time - we can all have bad moments - but because of how she handled things afterwards after she'd had time to calm down and think about it.

I think over the years Oprah got so used to things revolving around her she's at the point where she takes it as a personal affront when someone or something doesn't.

I'm another one whose perception of her drastically changed after the Hermes incident in France. I've never really respected her since, not just because she threw a tantrum at the time - we can all have bad moments - but because of how she handled things afterwards after she'd had time to calm down and think about it.

I have to ask--what was the Hermes incident?

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"From a procrastination standpoint, today has been wildly successful."

I think over the years Oprah got so used to things revolving around her she's at the point where she takes it as a personal affront when someone or something doesn't.

I'm another one whose perception of her drastically changed after the Hermes incident in France. I've never really respected her since, not just because she threw a tantrum at the time - we can all have bad moments - but because of how she handled things afterwards after she'd had time to calm down and think about it.

I have to ask--what was the Hermes incident?

This happened in 2006. She showed up to an Hermes store 15 minutes after closing, and the store was setting up for a PR event. She was turned away. She cried racism.

I think over the years Oprah got so used to things revolving around her she's at the point where she takes it as a personal affront when someone or something doesn't.

I'm another one whose perception of her drastically changed after the Hermes incident in France. I've never really respected her since, not just because she threw a tantrum at the time - we can all have bad moments - but because of how she handled things afterwards after she'd had time to calm down and think about it.

I have to ask--what was the Hermes incident?

This happened in 2006. She showed up to an Hermes store 15 minutes after closing, and the store was setting up for a PR event. She was turned away. She cried racism.

She claims the clerks said something about "problems with North Africans lately", which they store categorically denied. They also have video surveillance, which backed up their claim.

Yeah, and she said this was the most humiliating thing that ever happened to her. I thought to myself, this was worse than being molested by her uncle?

A store won't let her in after hours to buy a watch for, I think it was Tina Turner. She gets turned away at the door of a store and this is the worst thing ever? She had all day to send one of her minions over during store hours. She was a temper-tantruming idiot.

I have some sympathy for Oprah's staff here. They have a deadline to meet. If the guest doesn't show up, they can't just shrug, and tell the audience, "Sorry, we don't have anyone to interview today. You should all go home now." If the guest has vanished, they need to create a whole new show on the fly, with new guests, new script, new technical details, and they need to do it in an impossibly short time. Not to mention legal issues - did advertisers pay more for a slot for a guest they thought would bring in a particular demographic?

The guest not being there *is* a catastrophe to the staff. While Oprah may make it "all about her", I'd say that risking missing a commitment that is as critical to a large group of people as doing a tv show, is rude and unprofessional.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."